Manufacture of metal writing pens



April 9, 1940. A. G. FROST 2,196,207

MANUFACTURE OF METALWRITING PENS I 7 Original Filed July 1, 1955 INVENTURF Hlbefc 5.1 mi,

Patented Apr. 9, 1940 MANUFACTURE OF METAL WRITING PENS Albert G. Frost, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Ester-brook Steel Pen Manufacturing Company, Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 1, 1935, SerialNo, 29,267: Renewed December 16, 1938 Claims. (01. 113-4 My invention relates to the manufacture of metal writing pens or pen points, and comprises certain improvements in the method of making rounded end or, as they are sometimes called, ball-pointed pens.

My invention comprises a sequence of novel steps constituting an improved method of transforming fiat metal blanks into perfectpens or pen 'points of the rounded or ballpointed type.

Pens or pen points may be made in accordance with my invention from various metalsstainless steel, brass, and the like-and the important feature of my improved method is the series of steps which result in the production of pens or pen points of the type noted with a smooth writing surface and avoidthe losses hitherto common in allprevious methods of making pens or pen points with protuberant writing surfaces of the rounded end or ball-pointed type.

These and other features 'of my invention are more fully set forth hereinafter; reference being had to the accompanying drawing, more or less diagrammatic in character, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of metal blank'which may be employed in the production of pens or pen points in accordance with my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views on a larger scale, illustrating successive stages of the blank in the production of pens or pen points in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal elevation, partly in section, showing one manner of indenting the writing tip end of the blank in connection with the formation of the rounded or ball point.

Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are fragmentary views of the writing tip end of pen or pen point blanks,

showing modified forms of indentations and, in the case of Fig. 8, a modified tip, within the scope of my invention.

Fig. 9 is'a longitudinal sectional view on the line IXIX, Fig. 2. g

Fig. 10 is a similar view, taken on the line X-X, Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the writing tip end of the blank after formation of the indentation to produce the protuberance, looking in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 2.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view on the line XIIXII, Fig. 3.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional View on the same plane as Fig. 12, illustrating a modified form of indentation.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view in plan of the nibs and writing tip end of a finished pen or pe pointl Fig. 15 is a front elevation of the writing tip end of the finished pen or pen point.

Fig. 16 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale 5 taken on the line XVIXVI, Fig. 14.]

Fig. 1'7 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 16, illustrating the finished form of the writing tip end of the pen or pen point having a protuberance of the type illustrated in Fig. 13, and

Figs. 18 and 19 are fragmentary views in plan and elevation respectively, illustrating another form of writing tip end which may be produced in accordance with my invention.

One practice, heretofore followed in the manu- 15 facture of round or ball-pointed pens or pen points, is to form or raise the blank to final pen or pen point form and, after the slitting operation, to provide the nibs, which slitting operation might precede or follow the forming 520 or raising step, to recess the writing tip endof said nibs to produce the protuberant portion constituting the rounded or ball point. The recessing of the nibs to form such protuberance following the slitting operation, however, has a 525 tendency to distort or crush the ends of the nibs and cause portions of the protuberance designed to contact with the paper to spread, with the result that smoothness of the writing tip end is destroyed, and many imperfect pens or pen points result; Attempts have been made, in the production of pens orpen points of this type, to effect the desired recessing of the writing tip end before the usual slitting operation, but this action of slitting'the raised pen or pen points following .3

the formation of the protuberance also results in the spreading of the ends of the nibs, as well as distortion of the protuberant portion together with roughening of the surface of the latter'at' the writing tip end of'the pen or pen point. 4 In carrying out my invention, the blanks for the pens or pen points are formed in the usual manner by stamping the same from metal stock of the desired character; a blank of one form being shown-at 20, Fig. 1. These blanks are pro- '45 vided at thetapered portion from which the nibs are subsequently formed, with a relatively broad end 2!, which may be rounded as indicated at 2| for the formation of the writing tip end of the finished pen or pen point, or of other shape. 5 The blanking operation may leave sharp, relatively rough edges at the margins of the blank at one face of the same, while the opposite surface may have rounded edges, due to the natural draw in the blanking operation.- '55 After the blanking step, the blanks are pierced in the usual manner, as indicated at 22, Fig. 3. The shape of the pierce hole is a matter of indifference, and in the present instance, it is conveniently shown as round.

Following the preceding operation, the blanks are marked with the makers name, style, number, or other indicia, etc., and then the writing tip end of the blank is recessed at 23 on the upper side by a suitable tool; that illustrated at 24, for instance, such recessing producing a protuberance 25 on the underside of the writing tip end of the blank.

The recess formed in the upper side of the blank and reproduced on the underside thereof in the form of a protuberance may be round or truly circular, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; it may be oval and lie longitudinally or transversely of the Writing tip end, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively; or it may be of pear shape with the broader dimension thereof disposed toward the pierce hole 22, as shown in Fig. 7. It will be understood that the modified recessing, indicated in Figs. 5, 6, and '7, will provide variations in the form of the protuberances.

After the recessing operation, the blank is cut to provide the nibs of the finished pen or pen point; such cut, indicated at 26, being straight through the longitudinal axis of the blank from the writing tip end to the pierce hole, as illustrated in Fig. 4. While this cut may be made in a number of ways, I prefer to effect it by a sawing operation which produces a clean-cut slot 26 of uniform width throughout its length and without distorting in any way the nibs or the protuberant portion formed by the recessing operation at the writing tip end of the blank. This sawing operation provides the separate nibs 21 flanking the slot 26, and the width of this slot may affect, in some measure, the width of the writing point end of the finished pen or pen point. In all instances, the sawing operation provides a definite gap between the nib ends at the writing tip end of the blank.

The blanks from the sawing step, and still fiat, are then placed in the usual tumbling barrel for the purpose of smoothing the sharp or rough edges of the same, rounding corners, and the like. This may be a Wet scouring, and this operation has the effect of smoothing the blanks. By wet scouring the blank in the flat state following the sawing operation, all of the rough or sharp edges are removedparticularly the corners of the protuberances at the writing tip portion of the same. When the blank thus prepared is raised into pen or pen point form, the nibs of the same are automatically brought into the desired relative position, and the relatively contacting surfaces of the nib ends looking toward the writing tip end of the pen or pen point are in exact parallelism and normal to the plane of the top surface of the pen or pen point; the rounded or ball point being developed into perfect form for smooth writing.

In instances where it may be desirable to provide a broad writing tip end of the round or ball point type, the blank may have its end squared, as indicated at 2| in Fig. 8. This type of blank to form the pen or pen point, when subjected to the other operations herein referred to, would result in having the outer corners, indicated at at, slightly rounded by the wet scouring or other tumbling operation, and would result in the production of a writing tip somewhat broader than that produced from a blank having the rounded terminal, such as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, et seq.

It is within the scope of my invention to alter the shape of any of the forms of the recesses hereinbefore referred to, as by tapering them in the manner indicated in Fig. 13, which has the effect of providing a sharper protuberance on the under side of the blank. As a result of such modification, I may produce in the finished pen or pen point a protuberance such as that illustrated in Fig. 17, which provides a finer writing point or surface.

Other forms of pens or pen points may have the ends of the nibs curved transversely or at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the pen or pen point and fragmentary views of blanks from which such pens or pen points may be made are indicated in Figs. 13 and 19, such curved recessing producing a rounding on the under side of the nibs at the Writing tip end of the same. Pens or pen points of this type may be produced in a manner precisely similar to that described with respect to steps followed in the production of pens or pen points having a rounded or ball point.

By reason of the method of manufacture hereinbefore outlined, which includes the presence in the blank of the gap between the nib portions thereof, all the rough edges of the fiat blank have been removed and the corners rounded, and a pen or pen point with a smooth writing tip surface has been developed from the finished, flat blank; the wet scouring or other abrasive treatment of the blank in the flat cleaning, smoothing, and/or rounding all the rough corners of the blank before the pen or pen point is formed or raised therefrom. The raising operation transforms the flat blank to pen or pen point form and simultaneously brings the spaced nibs into relative contact and proper writing position and sets the nibs in such condition. Except for the polishing step, which does not alter the form of the pen or pen point, the raising step is the last step in the formation of the pen or pen point from the original flat blank to complete pen or pen point form.

It will be understood, of course, that various modifications may be made in the above-described embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. The method of making pens or pen points which comprises cutting thin sheet metal stock into the form of pen blanks, shaping the end of the blank which subsequently becomes the writing tip end of the pen or pen point by displacing a portion of the body to form a hollow protuberance on the under side of the blank, dividing said end of the blank into nib portions by a cutting operation which removes a portion of the metal of the blank and passes through said displaced protuberance in the longitudinal axis of the blank, finishing the slotted blank while still in the flat by a rumbling operation, and thereafter raising the finished blank to pen or pen point form and bringing the nib ends into proper writing position.

2. The method of making pens or pen points which comprises cutting thin sheet metal stock into the form of pen blanks with rounded ends, forming a hollow protuberance at the rounded end of the blank by displacing a portion of the pody within the margin of said rounded end, di- Viding said end of the blank into nib portions by v the metal of the blank and a cutting operation which removes a portion of displaced protuberance in the longitudinal axis of the blank, finishing the slotted blank while still in the fiat by a rumbling operation, and thereafter raising-the finished blank to pen or pen point form and simultaneously bringing the i rounded nibend into proper writing position.

3. The method of making pens or pen points which comprises cutting thin sheet metal stock into the form of pen blanks, shaping the end of pointform and simultaneously bringing the nib ends together; such action closing the gap between the separated portions of said hollow protuberance and bringing them into proper writing position.

4. The method of making pens or: pen points which comprises cutting thin sheetmetal stock into the form of pen blanks, piercing the blank; shaping one end of theblank by displacingaportion of the body in the form of a hollow protuberpasses through the tion';

ance on the underside thereof, dividing said end of the blank into separate nib portions by a cutting operation which removes a portion of the metal of the blank and'pas'ses through the displaced protuberance in the longitudinal axis of the blank to the pierce hole, finishing the slotted blank while still in the fiat by a wet scouring operation, and thereafter raising the finished blank to pen or pen point form and simultaneous- 1y bringing the nib ends together; such action closing the gap between the separated portionsv of said hollow protuberance and bringing the same into writing position.

5. The method of making pens or pen points which comprises cutting thin sheet metal stock into the form of pen blanks with rounded ends,

shaping the rounded end of the blank which sub sequently becomes the writing tip end of the pen or pen point by displacing a portion of the body thereof to form a deep, relatively pointed pro-v tuberance on the underside ofthe blank, dividing said end of the blank into nib portions by a cutting-operation whichremoves a portion of the metal of the blank and passes through the displaced hollow protuberance in the longitudinal axis of the blank, finishing the slotted blank while still .in the fiat bya rumbling operation, and thereafter raising ,thefinished blank to pen or pen point form and bringing the sections of the pointed protuberance" together in Writing posi- ALBERT G. FROST. 

